


30 Days - Distance

by orphan_account



Series: 30 Days - MarkiplierxReader [13]
Category: Markiplier (YouTube RPF), Youtube RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Warning for minor character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-19 02:04:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3592173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's nearly Mark's birthday, but you're in a hospital on another continent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	30 Days - Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Woo, really getting into the rhythm of one a day! Trigger warning for death of a grandparent on this one. Please don't read if you believe it will trigger you.
> 
> As always, [Y/N] is your name. Enjoy?

June.

You were supposed to be flying back to Cincinnati with Mark for his birthday, but you were sat in a hospital waiting room in London. You'd been back in the UK for more than a month - your grandfather was on his last legs, and so you felt obliged to be there when he passed.

The distance was crippling, almost. You'd been sleeping in your old room in your parents house, and to wake up every morning knowing Mark was five thousand miles away made your chest hurt. You wished he was here with yo - he had insisted on coming but you had told him you didn't know how long your grandad would take to pass away, and he couldn't be stranded in the UK with you. That, and visas were one giant pain in the ass you couldn't be bothered with.

As you sat hunched on the chair, the hospital went on around you. Of all your relatives, you were the only one who could be at the hospital every day. You didn't want to be, but you did it anyway, out of the love for your old grandad. You knew that this day would come eventually - after all, everyone died - but when the call from your mum had come, it had hit you like a train crash.

Cancer, she had said. Bad. Aggressive type. Liver, but it had spread. Stubborn old grandad hadn't wanted to go to the doctor when he felt sick. And now he was dying. Slowly, painfully, and with only you for company. You didn't want to remember him like this - but who would want to remember any family member lying in a hospital bed, connected to machines and IV drips and barely conscious? Nobody, that's who.

The door to your grandad's room opened and as you met the gaze of the nurse who opened it, she looked grim. Your heart seized in your chest as you immediately shot up from your seat and walked into the room. He had his eyes open, and when he looked at you he seemed to relax somewhat.

"Come here, [Y/N]," your grandad said, lifting a shaky and weak hand. You choked back tears as you dashed to his side, taking his hand and holding it close. "Don't cry, don't cry..." his voice was quiet and hoarse. You looked him in the eye and he smiled ruefully. "I'm glad you're here, [Y/N]. I was afraid... I wouldn't get to see you after you moved to LA... with your hotshot internet boyfriend."

"Grandad." you tried to laugh, but your voice caught in your throat and wobbled painfully. "Of course I'd be here. Couldn't bear the thought of you being on your own."

"[Y/N], I'm never alone," your grandad smiled weakly, brushing a strand of hair from your face with all the strength he had left. "You remind me so much of your grandmother. I wish she could have seen you now, all grown and beautiful." you choked back another sob, rubbing at the tears in your eyes. "Save those tears, my dear. Cry only when you're happy. You'll be sad when I'm gone, but I'll always be with you." 

"You and your, big, cheesy words." you sniffled loudly, holding your grandfather's hand tightly. "You better... say hi to nana for me, you hear me?" you asked shakily. Your grandfather gave one last throaty laugh, patting your hand and nodding. "Good."

"[Y/N]," you looked to him and noticed the beeping of the heart monitor beginning to slow. "I love you, my dear. Don't you dare name your kids after me." he smirked softly, taking a heavy, deep breath. "Tell everyone I love them, okay?"

"O-okay, grandad." you wiped your eyes again and tried to smile for him. "I love you too, grandad."

"There's that smile... you be good now." your grandad said. After a moment of heavy breathing, the heart monitor let out that telltale monotonous sound and your grandfather's hand went limp in your grasp. You were wracked by a sob as the nurse turned off the machine and put her hand on your shoulder. She left you to cry for a few minutes before taking you back to the waiting room.

You sat, staring mindlessly at the wall in front of you, thumbing the screen of your phone. You knew you should ring your family, tell them what had happened, but you didn't want to. Your parents would be at the hospital soon enough.

Slowly, you rose from your seat, eyes still mindlessly staring in front of you. You walked through the sterilised halls, your feet dragging against the clean floor until you finally were met by the heat of the evening summer sun. There was a coffee shop across the road from the hospital; you could settle in there and update your subscribers on your situation.

You walked in, ordered a coffee and a sandwich, and sat down in a corner. Your phone connected to the wi-fi and you updated your twitter with a short 'will be back in LA soon'. Your food and drink was placed on the table and you signed in on Skype.

Almost instantly it started to ring. Mark's goofy smile was spread across the screen. You took a deep breath, bracing yourself before you plugged in your headphones and pressed the video call button. 

"Hi [Y/N]!" Mark said with a grin. You forced a smile in return and almost instantly he recognised something was wrong. "Hey, talk to me, what happened?" you open your mouth to speak before letting out a heavy sigh, feeling the tears form in your eyes again. "[Y/N]?"

"My grandad, he..." you rest the phone against the cup of coffee so Mark can still see you. You cover your eyes and try to steady your breathing - you really, really don't want to end up crying in a coffee shop. "He's gone, Mark."

"Oh, [Y/N]..." the cheerful demeanor Mark usually had was replaced by a sorrowful one. "I'm so sorry. You're not there on your own, are you?" you shake your head. "Oh..." you managed to force yourself to look at Mark, who stared helplessly back at you. Four hours and nearly four thousand miles apart never hurt so much. "That's it, I'm booking a flight to London right now."

"Mark, no." you interrupted him and sighed. "You can't. It's your birthday tomorrow, you're supposed to spend it with your family."

"You're my family too!" Mark protested. You smiled gratefully at him, rubbing at your eyes and nose again. "Please, [Y/N], I can't bear to see you like this."

"I'll be fine, I promise. My parents will be here soon, don't worry." you said tiredly.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." you sniffled again and looked at Mark. "You just... you have a good time with your family, okay? I love you."

"I love you too." Mark said sadly. "I gotta go, but you look after yourself, love. When are you flying home?"

"In a couple of days. Probably the same time you are."

"Okay. Hey," you looked at Mark and he smiled sadly. "Look after yourself, ok?" he blew you a kiss as you nodded before he hung up, leaving you with your coffee and sandwich. You slowly scrolled through your twitter notifications, smiling sadly at all the messages of support and condolences from your fans.

Eventually, you finished your meal and left the coffee shop and waited for your parents outside the hospital. You told them what happened on the way into the hospital as your father started to deal with funeral arrangements before heading home. It was a rough few days after that - you laid in your room, staring at the ceiling. You hadn't updated your YouTube in some time and knew you were neglecting your fans, so you forced yourself to vlog.

"Hi guys!" you waved at the camera and made a pathetic attempt to smile. "Sorry about not updating my channel for a while. I've been unfortunately busy with... a lot, actually." you rub the back of your neck and readjust yourself on your bed. "My grandfather passed away on June twenty-seventh, so uh... that's why I was in the UK for a month. I'll be flying home tomorrow so I'll start recording when I get home. I appreciate the patience your guys have had for me in such a difficult time in my life, so... thank you." you finished off the vlog with your typical farewell before quickly uploading it to your channel. 

The day after, you had everything packed and your mother drove you to the airport. It was a quiet flight; you couldn't stop thinking about how you'd miss the funeral, but you knew your grandad wouldn't want you to be sad. You hadn't been able to look at yourself in the same way knowing you had been there when he died - you had felt the life leave him and it made your stomach churn as you stared at your hands on the flight, making you dart to the toilet to throw up your breakfast.

Twelve hours after the flight left, it landed in LA. Mark had gotten home the day before and told you he'd be waiting at the airport. You passed through security and there was Mark, waiting with open arms. You ran over to him and barreled into him, his strong embrace holding you tightly. And then you started to cry.

"Come on, [Y/N]," Mark kissed the top of your head and let you cry onto his flannel shirt. "Let's get you home."


End file.
